Taking good care of ourselves. We all know we should do it but at the same time it's hard to prioritise ourselves in our daily hectic life. Here are some tips for you on how to really take care of yourself.
Go for nourishing activities
So if you want to take good care of yourself, you can of course do so by choosing nourishing activities. Go for massages, to a spa, start meditating, attend a yoga class, go out in nature, take up those creativity classes you've been long craving for, start dancing or experimenting with new recepies, reorganise your home, get rid of some stuff you no longer need, clean up your garden shed, read inspirational books. Anything that makes you smile and feel better is always a good idea.
But that alone isn't enough.
Take care of what's going on inside of you.
In order to really take good care of yourself, you also nourish your inner you. And by that I mean you try to make time to listen to what's going on inside of you: your feelings. You are always feeling in a certain way. Check in with yourself: how are you feeling? Where does this feeling come from? Is it justified that you're feeling this way? And moreover: what is this feeling telling you? Is there a certain need behind this feeling that isn't met? Is this feeling telling you to slow down, to talk to someone, to resolve a conflict for example? Taking care of yourself means that you accommodate this feeling. Don't push it away. But let it be there. It won't kill you. It's there for a reason. Feel it. Be it. Accept it. Try to be nice and gentle with yourself instead of annoyed and irritated about the fact that you're annoyed and irritated for example.
Take care of what your inner critic is telling you
For those who have worked with me know that adopting the right mindset plays a big role in my coaching. Our mindset and how we see and approach things really affects how we feel, how we act or react and eventually the results we get. I discovered the importance of a positive mindset when I was training for the World Championships ultra running.
I was training the best I could yet knew that I wasn't getting all out of myself. Which is why I started learning more about adopting a high performance mindset. I first started applying the lessons learned to my running practice (which improved!) but then als0 to my life in general (which also improved!). I realised this was THE KEY to living a lighter life, to achieving the results I wanted and to being more happy and peaceful in general.
We are often our own worst critics. A great start in adopting the right mindset is taking care of what this inner critic is telling you. You might want to write down the convictions that are in your way of really feeling well. The things you tell yourself and see as 'absolute truth'. And then ask yourself whether you can be 100% absolutely sure this is true. Most of the time the answer is NO.
Do you want to learn more on how to deal with this? I've written an entire mind management toolkit on it which is available for you to download for free.
Another way of adopting the right mindset is starting or finishing your day with self caring affirmations. Try it out, it really helps in the process of rewiring your brain to being more loving and kind towards yourself. I've written a few for you down, feel free to try them out for yourself.
My daily commitment to my self-care isn’t selfish.
I am strong, empowered and capable of anything.
I am deserving off all the good things in my life.
I choose to be my authentic self.
I love, accept and appreciate myself and my talents.
I must make sure I am regularly taking care of myself, before I am able to help others.
I choose to forgive myself and let go of my past mistakes.
I am smart, courageous and self confident.
I am top priority in my life.
I have every right to say no to anything that makes me feel uncomfortable.
I live with intention and follow my purpose.
I choose to let go of what I can’t control in my life.
Are you ready to go a step further in taking good care of yourself?
I'm organising the ONLINE OUTDOOR BACK TO NATURE RETREAT. This is an online retreat that helps you get connected to yourself and to the nature around you. It's a nourishing and inspiring day, just for you. We'll connect online but you can go outside to your favourite spot in nature. It includes meditations, an autumn reflection workshop, group Reiki and more. I'd love to see you there!
Would you like to start working on your mindset and taking care of yourself on a more regular basis? Check out whether the MIND GYM might be for you. In the end, regularly committing time to taking care of what's going on in your inner life is the very ultimate act of self care.
Here's what Danelle says:
Mind Gym with Janne has been a terrific experience. She does a great job of creating a safe, open space that facilitates a great exchange, always involving a lot of laughter. Participating in Mind Gym encourages me to look back on the previous week, to notice and appreciate all that has gone on and also to look ahead to the next week to live it in a more intentional way. It's so easy for the weeks in our lives to just run into each other, without taking the time to reflect and really pat oneself on the back for all that we accomplish and to be grateful for all that we have. MindGym creates space to do this on a weekly basis and the great tools Janne has provided, along with the feedback from the other participants, has had a profound effect on my attitude. I highly recommend working with Janne and giving yourself this precious time of reflection, intention and celebration. MindGym is life changing!
